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Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice

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Gilmore Girls fans! Pour yourselves a hot cup of tea and get ready to fall in love with this cozy YA romance that will have you dreaming of autumn all year long.

Fall is a big deal in Briar Glen, a quaint and charming village in New England. That’s when tourists from all over the country descend upon this picturesque town to see the babbling brooks and colorful leaves while sipping hot chocolate or pumpkin spice lattes.

But sixteen-year-old Lucy Kane hates the uber-popular PSL. She finds it overrated -- especially when you consider the fact that there isn’t even pumpkin in it! -- which is bad because she works at Cup o’ Jo, the local coffee shop her mom owns. Business at Cup o' Jo hasn't been great in the off-season, but that's okay because it always picks up during the fall ...

Until Java Junction, a multinational coffee chain, opens across the street and makes things harder for the small shop. And to make matters worse, it turns out Jack Harper, the new kid in school and Lucy's secret crush, is the son of the owner. Suddenly, fall doesnt seem like it'll be all it's cracked up to be. Will Lucy find a way to save her mom's coffee shop?

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 2024

About the author

Katie Cicatelli-Kuc

4 books62 followers

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5 stars
186 (8%)
4 stars
520 (22%)
3 stars
1,002 (43%)
2 stars
496 (21%)
1 star
114 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 590 reviews
Profile Image for Lindsey♡ (Semi-Hiatus).
155 reviews224 followers
July 30, 2024
Oh boy where do I begin??
I was immediately excited to read this when I seen the cover and thought I was getting a cute and cozy fall read. Then we threw in the fact that it is for Gilmore Girl fans and a YA romance. Everything that I love about the fall season is right there. I wanted to love it so much but unfortunately this just fell so flat for me.

In the beginning, I did get Gilmore Girl vibes. The story is set in a small town of Briar Glen where everyone knows everyone. The town gives you all the fall vibes with local fall festivals, pumpkins, baking contests, mazes, Halloween costumes, you name it and its there. Lucy, our FMC, has an extremely close relationship with her mom, whom is a single parent, and owns the local coffee shop Cup o Jo'. Lucy works at her moms local coffee shop after school helping to come up with new recipes to bake for the shop. Then, Java Junction, a multinational chain decides to build a new location not only in Briar Glen but literally right across the street from Lucy's moms store. If matters couldn't get worse, the new boy at school who Lucy has a crush on, is the son of the owners of this new competition.

First, this was supposed to be a YA romance and romance where??? The romance part of this book was so overshadowed by the aspect of a "perfect pumpkin spice latte" that the most we got from this was a hug. I am not even sure if they even admitted to liking each other. The romance aspect of this was very dissapointing.

Secondly the character development was minimal and it was hard to connect to the characters. The female main character was kind of annoying and her attempts at "banter" was simply just rude. Overall, this book seemed a lot more juvenile then what I expected. The plot/storyline got lost and unfortunately it was just not what I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scholastic Press, and Katie Cicatelli-Kuc for early access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.


Pre-Read Review: I am so behind on my arcs but finally getting around to reading this one! They got me when they said it was for Gilmore Girl Fans!

It looks super cute and I am always looking for a cozy fall read!🍂🍂
Profile Image for Oceana GottaReadEmAll.
827 reviews1,674 followers
August 25, 2024
2.5 🌼

I wanna say I would recommend this to teens.
It was pretty basic. No language other than omg.

Romance was light and mostly had fall vibes.

The fmc was super annoying and whiney imo. No relate there. I think 16 year olds are more mature than this but maybe I’m out of touch.
Profile Image for Rhonda.
10 reviews
August 11, 2024
I love fall. It is my favorite time of year. In “Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice”, I definitely got a great dose of the fall season! 🍁 It is filled to the brim with all of the visuals, tastes and smells that evokes the season. In fact, the main female character, Lucy, works at a local, small town coffee shop owned and run by her mother. She also loves to bake all of the goodies they keep stocked in the shop, called Cup O’ Jo. The problem? The new family in town just opened up a national coffee chain shop, giving Cup O’ Jo some serious competition. ☕️

Jack, the new guy at school, his parents just bought the shop across the street from Cup O’ Jo to open a big chain coffee shop. Suddenly, this new guy isn’t so cute—he’s competition that will hurt Lucy’s mom’s business.

While this book is labeled young adult romance, you get a feel for all the teenage angst that goes on during the high school years, without a lot of romance. Lucy has a few close girl friends who are always available for her when she is struggling with a problem. I really appreciate that about this story, because I think good friends are important during this time, and it sends a positive message for teens. Lucy’s friends are kind and supportive. As the reader, you see problems unfold for Lucy and solutions to them revealed. You see how Lucy grows through what she learns about Jack and his family and how she and her mother deal with this new situation in their lives. 🎃

The grand finale is in the big pumpkin spice latte competition between the two coffee shops. This book is perfect for fall and will give you all the cozy feels! 🍂🌻🧡

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Publish date, August 6, 2024!
Profile Image for Amber Ortiz.
25 reviews17 followers
October 28, 2024
I really liked reading this book. This was a cute cozy read where the main character learns to just be a teenager and not take on too much responsibility for her mom’s coffee shop. It had great character development and is good if you want a crazy fall read.
Profile Image for Samantha ♡ ( Percy’s Version ).
126 reviews141 followers
October 23, 2024
2/5⭐️

I thought this was a romance. It was advertised as a romance. It was not a romance. They didn’t even kiss once. They weren’t even a couple at the end or at any point in this book.
Profile Image for Autumn.
81 reviews6 followers
October 22, 2024
2 stars - Will Lucy find a way to save her mom's coffee shop?


my opinion: i genuinely dislike this book. it was horrible. i strongly disliked ( i don’t want to say hate) Lucy, i think she was a jerk to jack and her friends and it made me sooo upset and honestly the only reason i made this a 2 star read was because i did really enjoy the setting and the vibes, i definitely made sense why this would be for gilmore girls fans because of the small town cozy vibes but that was it


favorite character: i have no idea because i didn’t enjoy this book but i think ill just say jack because i think he was sweet and actually developed well and was nice to Lucy even though she was such a jerk to him…(she threw a pie at his face..)


plot: i did like how she much she baked because it made me want to bake…that’s it
Profile Image for lia 🎀.
81 reviews83 followers
September 28, 2024
Well.. this was certainly something. (SPOILERS)
Got this book for the cozy autumn vibes, and it definitely delivered on that front. However, this book felt like it was the authors first time writing a YA book and she didn’t know how teenagers act or talk to each other 😭 the FMC literally changed her mind so many times about the MMC it was not humanly possible. She was so annoying and got mad at everyone over every little thing. There was the same jokes and sayings over and over again, and the same drama over and over again. It was entirely too repetitive, absolutely no variety. Also, I thought this was gonna be a romance but there wasn’t even a freaking hand hold. The most we got were several awkward long hugs. And the fact that the whole book was based around making the perfect PSL, but when she finally did she wasn’t even happy about it?? Girl if you don’t stop changing your mind I’m gonna jump into oncoming traffic!! Also, I’m glad she finally “found herself” at the end but I actually think she’s gonna get even more annoying and let it all go to her head because of what she “found herself” in. Also, wtf are they planning to do when it’s not fall to keep the business running? It’s so annoying. 3 different things were left as plot holes. Only reason I kept reading this was because the fall vibes were comforting and nice, and that’s the only thing I’d recommend this for. If I was 12 this would be a 3 or 4 star because the FMC had the emotional stability of a 12 year old. Also, that whole “stop planning your future thing” babes she’s a junior. She is supposed to be taking the ACT and SAT and planning what colleges to apply to right now.. be SO serious acting as if it’s not a normal thing for a junior to be planning her future like please be for real. She’s not a child.. also why were so many things brought up and never resolved!! My god I hope there’s a second book because all this stuff is so bad
Profile Image for bookyarmond.
10 reviews299 followers
October 22, 2024
Il faut prendre ce livre pour ce qu’il est : une cheesy rom com façon téléfilm de Noël mais autour de l’automne. 🍁

Tous les axes narratifs ont déjà été vus et revus. Il n’y a aucune surprise (mais c’est aussi ce qui confère un caractère si réconfortant) mais pourtant, il y a tout ce qu’il faut.

Une lycéenne, Lucy, qui rencontre Jack, le fils des propriétaires de la chaîne de café qui ont installé leur nouvelle boutique en face de l’authentique coffee shop de sa mère.

Une ambiance automnale comme on en rêve : odeur de cannelle, sacs remplis de pommes, feuilles d’or et d’orange qui craquent sous les pieds.

Un festival d’automne dans le village version Stars Hollow, un concours de la meilleure pâtisserie puis du meilleur pumpkin spice latte…

J’ai adoré cette lecture qui m’a donné envie d’allumer une bougie, de boire un pumpkin spice latte et de profiter des couleurs automnales.
La lecture saisonnière parfaite si vous avez besoin de douceur et réconfort. 🍁
Profile Image for Sheila.
2,315 reviews44 followers
July 21, 2024
I received a free copy of, Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I love autumn, the sights the smells, thee is no season better. New England is so beautiful during the fall, and that is where this book takes place, in Briar Glen. Teenager Lucy Kane, think pumpkin spice is way overrated, though she works at a coffee shop her mom owns. This autumn will be different as they have competition with a new coffee shop in town. I really enjoyed Lucy, she is your typical girl next door.
Profile Image for ✰ anna ✰.
109 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2024
1. cringe
2. cringe cringe cringe cringe
3. the conflict was literally the perfect psl 🙄
4. romance???????????? where. literally where.
Profile Image for ray (ia).
136 reviews164 followers
October 20, 2024
I honestly don’t know if the good outweigh the bad or if it’s the opposite, so I don’t quite know what I’m going to rate it yet. rtc. Pssst: Tiffanie Leighann in one of her fall reading vlogs summed up my thoughts about this book perfectly !!

pre-read ☕️🍂
Was going to save this for November but saw it’s set in October !! Also, I just finished BTTM so better read this now while I’m still in a rom-com mood
Profile Image for Kylie ve.
154 reviews25 followers
October 8, 2024
This just wasn’t for me if I’m honest…..
There was basically no romance? Unless the hug was the romance?
And the FMC was very immature and just annoyed me the whole time.
September 19, 2024
I bought this book solely for the vibes on the cover, hoping for a cutesy fall romance but this was more of a romance between Lucy and coffee, which meh. I don’t know what sophomore in high school is so concerned with their parents financial situation and refusing to sell a drink? It does bring me back to all the drama of being in HS but this felt over the top. And what’s with Lucy being so hard about PSL?? Those make money gf, let mama sell them. Then again I am 30 reading a book probs meant for 12 year olds.
Profile Image for jo ୨୧.
218 reviews53 followers
October 27, 2024
the perfect pumpkin spice recipe ~

first grab a plot

then mix in the drama of OH NO PUMPKIN SPICE IS TOXIC

and forget that you can just make a concentrate??

then bake at 450*F for about a few hundred pages.

ta da! you'll have this book! :D
Profile Image for Kris.
461 reviews47 followers
September 15, 2024
I was in the mood to read a cute fall inspired love story. I love the idea of competing coffee shops. I’m so glad I decided to pick up this book in particular.

Lucy frustrated me a lot at times, but really began to grow into her self and I loved seeing that growth. Jack was a joy to read from, he gave such golden retriever vibes. Where Lucy was serious most of the time, Jack was cute in helping her find her authentic silliness. I also really enjoyed seeing Lucy’s relationship with her mom.

Overall, this was a very cute autumnal read. I love that I got some romance, some family dynamics, and a cute overall story. I highly recommend this book if you were looking for a sweet young adult book, focusing on character growth.
Profile Image for Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee.
822 reviews198 followers
August 26, 2024
I was obsessed with this cover and it sounded right up my alley. I'm a huge fan of fall related romance book so I was really expecting to love this. Unfortunately, after the first quarter I became bored. There wasn't much character development so it was hard for me to connect with the story. The whole book overall felt too young for me.. the writing wasn't bad, I just had a hard time getting into it. I think younger people might enjoy this one more.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own..
Profile Image for Shannon.
6,323 reviews352 followers
October 18, 2024
This was a really cute Fall YA enemies to lovers romcom that sees the children of two competing coffee shops (one the local indie, the other a Starbucks-style chain store). Lucy Kane hates everything about the chemical pumpkin spice lattes but in order to compete with the new store across the street she vows to come up with the perfect PSL made with all natural ingredients. A classic David and Goliath small town Autumn romance with tons of Stars Hollow vibes. Perfect for fans of Emma Lord's Tweet Cute with an absolutely adorable Leni Kauffman cover! Highly recommended.

Steam level: very PG (not even a kiss)
November 11, 2024
3.75 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Almost wanted to give this a 4 star cause of how cute this book was 😭

It was perfect for the fall type of vibe like
Gilmore girls + fall + coffee + small town
= This book

While this book doesn’t have much romance it honestly didn’t need it to be good, and it’s so fast paced which I loved 💗

I would’ve 100% ate this book up when I was 11 tho which is the only reason I almost gave it a 4 star hehe

~Rating: 3.75/5
~Spice: (non existent)
~Age rating: 11+ Recommend for younger readers! 🌷
Profile Image for Liz | lizzuplans.
355 reviews5 followers
September 18, 2024
Came for the cute cover, did not stay for the story. Too childish for a YA book, too many whining 12yo running around, and I was thrown off by the weird double spaced text in the paperback.

Too bad, I was very ready for a cosy Gilmore Girl-esque easy romance or “romance” read!
Profile Image for Hannah Burge.
51 reviews5 followers
October 13, 2024
5 stars! 🌟

ADORABLE! This style of writing is so nostalgic to me, these are the types of book I would read in elementary school/early middle school.

So simple, so cute, and so fun! This definitely got me in the fall mood! 🫶🎃
Profile Image for K.J. Haakenson.
Author 1 book31 followers
October 29, 2024
This was exactly the book my heart needed to read this autumn.

The vibes are very Gilmore Girls (small town, mother/daughter dynamic) with a little You've Got Mail (big business vs. small business, enemies ), but it's still very much its own story.

I saw a lot of reviews complaining about the lack of romance, which is actually why I chose to pick it up. It lacked the kissing (and more) we are taught to expect in contemporary romance, but instead, there was a genuine connection between the two main characters that other stories are missing. And yet, even the cute romance didn't overshadow the other important relationships the main character already had. This isn't just about a girl finding a guy, it's about finding her place in the world she loves so much despite the inevitable anxiety about growing up.

This is a true YA book - no spice, just a lot of Pumpkin Spice. Unsurprisingly to anyone who knows me, "Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice" earned my 5 stars so easily.
Profile Image for Alivia.
10 reviews
October 30, 2024
Ok, ummm. I don’t really know where to start with this book. Yes, it was a really great Fall read, which made me so happy! Loved each character. I was confused, because Lucy doesn’t have a Dad in this book, and it didn’t say anything about what happened to him. The subject of Lucy and her Mom only having each other came up a lot, but the book never told me WHY. The plot was NOT put together very well, there was really no main point to the story. And… to top it all off the book didn’t end with a kiss! I mean like, come on! Any way….. Happy Reading!!!
Profile Image for Julia Hayes.
16 reviews1 follower
September 21, 2024
This was a cute small town, fall romcom that had 0 spice. I would have rated it higher but the main character annoyed me.
September 4, 2024
I need more books like this in my life right now. This was adorable, well-written and easy to follow. I read it to complete 2 challenges, and I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise, but I'm so glad I did. The characters were relatable and likable. I've had a run of not so great reads at mostly 2 and 3 stars, so it was refreshing to give this book a solid 4 stars.
Profile Image for Rachel Brackett.
160 reviews6 followers
June 25, 2024
I’m definitely not the target audience for this book. I’ll start with what I loved about this book: Jack, Briar Glen, Lucy’s friends, Lucy’s mom, PSL love, and Pancakes. What didn’t work for me: Lucy. I don’t know if it’s because I’m so far removed from my teenage years or something else but Lucy was just too much. Maybe that’s just how teenagers are but it distracted me from the story.

Definitely pick up if you like a lovely YA story set in a Gillmore Girls town. Absolutely perfect for a fall read.

I received a copy from netgalley and the publisher.
October 18, 2024
Ik zou dit boek niet lezen als je op zoek bent naar een cute fall romance boek. Zijn er cute fall vibes? Yes. Maar romance? Nee. All we got is a hug 😭
Daarnaast vond ik de hoofdpersoon ook lowkey irritant :,). Erg teleurgesteld.
Profile Image for Emily.
269 reviews7 followers
November 7, 2024
*3.25 Stars*

Quick, easy read. Was cute and fluffy. Probably for the best thing to read in the days surrounding the election. No thoughts. Just fall vibes.
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